qinbafrank
qinbafrank|6月 26, 2026 18:06
RKLB announced that it has been selected by NASA to perform a total of three Electron launches for the PolSIR and TSIS-2 missions, which will land in early 27th. This contract precisely proves RKLB's unique advantage in small rocket launches. 1) PolSIR task Two identical CubeSats are placed in independent 52 degree inclined, non sun synchronous orbits. This will enable NASA scientists to compare the variations of ice clouds in daily, seasonal, and annual cycles, which is also the reason why PolSIR requires two dedicated launches. 2) TSIS-2 Task The TSIS-2 satellite represents the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-2, which will study the energy relationship between the Sun and Earth. Why not launch together? And it must be launched separately NASA does not want to launch these three satellites together because each spacecraft needs to be deployed to different orbits and times with high precision. Specialized small launch vehicles like Electron enable NASA to quickly and directly deploy satellites into the desired orbit according to customer preference schedules. Electron is capable of deploying satellites within a few meters of the target orbit. Compared to the commonly used kilometer level deployment accuracy in the industry, this provides Electron with significant advantages for tasks such as PolSIR that require highly precise orbit insertion. Dedicated Electron launches may be more expensive than carpooling missions on large rockets, but for NASA, reducing mission delays and ensuring precise orbits and launch schedules are clearly more important. This is also the reason why NASA assigned these two tasks to RKLB. This contract once again demonstrates that the role of Electron goes far beyond simply launching small satellites. For small satellite customers, in addition to the lowest launch price, they also care about other customers: Can the satellite be launched on the required date? Can it be directly sent into the required orbit? Can customers avoid delays caused by other loads? Can the launch provider meet the compressed schedule? Can satellites be deployed with high precision? This NASA contract once again demonstrates the value of Electron in meeting mission requirements that may be difficult to achieve for large-scale carpool launches, especially when schedule flexibility and precise orbital deployment are crucial.
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